


Christmas light: Lockdown Edition

by Mendelynn



Category: Original Work
Genre: #Christmas #Lockdown #Quarantine #Uni #Students #Wholesome #Christmasstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:09:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28285260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mendelynn/pseuds/Mendelynn
Summary: Christmas 2020  is weird, especially if you can't visit the people you're usually seeing at this time of year. But that doesn't mean it has to a bad christmas.





	Christmas light: Lockdown Edition

**Author's Note:**

  * For [everyone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/everyone/gifts).



> Hiya!
> 
> As promised: Christmas story.  
> I write one every year and since last year, I also write an English version.  
> The German version can be found and read here:  
> https://www.fanfiktion.de/s/5fe473db00034fd82c6db9fb/1/Weihnachten-light-Lockdown-Edition
> 
> I hope all of you are having a great time and are able to enjoy Christmas one way or the other. ^^  
> Have fun!

The lock beeped to indicate that he was able to open the door now. It was nice, somehow, like a little greeting. ‘Hello, nice to see you back.’ In the end, the lock only communicated with his transponder key, though, and not with him. It was stupid anyway, to think that his door lock talked to him. Shaking his head, he turned the knob and wanted to step in. “Huh? What are you still doing here?”

Startled, he turned and spotted his neighbour trudging in his direction. Judging by the bag on her shoulder, she was just coming from the laundry room in the cellar. They knew each other by sight – she lived in the student apartment diagonally opposite him. He shrugged. “I could ask you the same.”

She grinned. “Right. My roommate had contact with someone who tested positive. She’d had the virus already but we have to go into quarantine anyway.” She raised her hands and the bag slid from her shoulder into the crook of her arm. “And you? Quarantined as well?”

He shook his head. “My parents are on Christmas vacation on the Canaries.” It wasn’t like he necessarily wanted to spend Christmas with his family… he’d been thinking about it for a long time and was relieved that the decision had been made for him. Saved him the trouble with presents and arguing with mom… he would just order a pizza and binge-watch “Seven Deadly Sins” for the third time. The fourth season was just epic.

“Being along on Christmas is kinda sad, though…”

He shrugged again. “It’s just a day like any other.” Well… maybe it was a bit sad. He’d liked Christmas a lot, as a child. He was afraid of Father Christmas then but many children were. She was obviously not done with the topic, her face said it loud enough. So he escaped into his flat with two big strides but she positioned herself in the doorframe in a way that it would have been very impolite to close the door.

“I disagree. I think, Christmas is a wonderful event and I would hate for you to miss it. I cooked with my flatmate and it’s too much for two anyway. Wanna come?”

“Uhm…” Of course. When he needed it the most, he could not think of an excuse.

“’Course, you don’t have to. But… what kind of student refuses an offer for free food?”

Right she was. To be honest, he wasn’t that big on takeaway anyway. He’d had too much of it recently. “Uhm…”

“We’re having casserole. Minced meat, pasta, veg, et cetera. The offer stands, you can leave right after, if you want.”

Crap. This sounded too good. The scent of the freshly cooked meal crept towards him from under the door already. Probably the most convincing argument. With a sigh, he left the shopping bag in the corridor and hung up his jacket. “Okay.”

“Cool.” His neighbour grinned triumphantly. “Now, I just have to tell my roomie.” A full billow of smells hit him when she opened the door. “Yo, Lucy. Found another eater. Is your chair usable?”

Another student in oversized sweater and sweatpants was leaning against the counter and looked up from her phone.

“Nope. Yours?”

“Nope. I’m gonna empty it.” Neighbour number one opened the door to her room and out down her laundry bag. Neighbour number two gave him a friendly smile. “Hi, I’m Lucy.”

A careful nod would hopefully be enough… he didn’t like shaking hands, especially not in these times. Fortunately, she hadn’t extended hers. “John.”

“Nice to meet you, John. You live across, don’t you? We came across each other in the corridor.”

“Possible…”

“Quarantined as well?”

“No, his parents flew to the Canaries without him.” Neighbour one appeared with a third Ikea chair which she placed at the small square table in a way that there was just enough space to get too the other side of the kitchen counter if it was pushed as far under the table as possible. At least they had a kitchen. The only thing separated by wall and door in his flat was the bathroom. Still, the two young women had decorated the formerly stark room nicely. Postcards with motivational quotes on the fridge, more quotes, cut out pictures and old calendar sheets on the walls. And a Christmas candle on the table which illuminated the wax cloth on the table which was adorned by a rather tasteless banana pattern. “By, the way, I’m Josie. Forgot to introduce myself.” And, of course, she extended her hand to shake his.

“I uhm… haven’t washed my hands yet.”

“Right. Me too. Go ahead. Bath is the door which is not the door to my room.” A rather obvious description, especially if she pointed at it like this… So he disappeared in the small bathroom for a short moment. The two of them were really nice, if a bit intrusive, and their kitchen was kind of homey. After the meal, he would be able to leave immediately anyway… but the casserole looked amazing in the way it was spinning in the wannabe-oven-microwave.

When he re-entered the kitchen, someone had turned on Christmas music. Tinny swing sounds came from a less expensive kind of Bluetooth box. The candle had moved to the kitchen counter and the table was laid with three chipped place and mis-matched cutlery. The casserole had given up its residence in the micro-oven and sat on the counter steaming away. Lucy was busy dividing it up into edible portions while Josie disappeared into the bathroom to wash her hands as well.

“It’s really nice of you…” He still didn’t know how to act in this situation.

“No problem.” Lucy smiled at him. They really seemed to be in a good mood, even though they had to spend Christmas in quarantine. “You know, it’s technically not okay that you’re here with us but spending Christmas alone… that’s sad.”

He had to admit that she was right. Even though he had not wanted to admit it to himself so far, but Christmas was, in the end, not a day like any other. “Well, I am kind of quarantined over there anyway,” he tried to joke. She actually laughed.

“That’s true.”

Josie made an amused noise. “I can’t offer you mulled wine but I’ve got tea that claims to taste just like it.”

“No, thanks.” He had probably looked a bit disgusted because Josie was grinning again.

“Okay. Then I’ve got more for myself. Can only offer you water instead, though.” He shook his head.

“Sit down, Josie. I’m starving,” Lucy saved the situation. “You too, John, please.” And then he finally received it. The Casserole™. It was hot, smelled delicious and tasted even better. The music in the background music somehow created a real Christmas mood and the comfortable chatter of the two young women just matched with the atmosphere. Slowly, he started to properly feel like Christmas; something he hadn’t managed all advent. He liked Christmas, but he’d been missing the feeling for the last few years. And apparently, it didn’t even need a Christmas tree for it, just the company. And good food… oh, and they’d made cookies. The two of them talked about Christmas in their families and all the funny things that had happened over the years. Apparently, every family had their own traditions but all of them included family meetups where everyone was sitting together talking about the same topics as every year until discussions turned into arguments. It didn’t sound as bad when the two of them told the stories. It was somehow part of Christmas, wasn’t it? It he was perfectly honest; he liked this simple way of celebrating Christmas much better. Christmas light. In a student apartment. In quarantine.

When he got up and thanked them for the meal, Josie asked him to wait for a moment. He sat down again and watched her disappear in her room. Small, rustling sounds came from the open door. What was she up to? He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be nervous or excited but the nervousness won. Especially because Lucy didn’t seem to know what her flat mate was up to either. But it somehow reminded him of the Christmas excitement he had felt as a child.

Josie returned not even five minutes later and held a poorly wrapped package in her hand. A… Christmas present?

“It’s nothing fancy, just… you know… Christmas present…” She extended it towards him.

“For me?”

“No, for the pet that you’re not allowed to have in your apartment.” She rolled her eyes. “Of course it’s for you. It would be sad if you didn’t get a present. But, as I said, it’s basically nothing. I had it lying around. Take it.” She shoved it into his hand and he couldn’t do anything against it.

“Uhm… thanks? But I have nothing for you…”

“Of course you don’t. It’s Christmas. Be happy.”

Lucy had disappeared into her room to video chat with her parents. It was a good opportunity to leave the flat without making up an excuse. “Thank you very much, really, I…”

“Nothing you have to thank me for.” Josie followed him to the door and gave him a little napkin bag with biscuits. “Merry Christmas. See you around.”

“See you.” Back in his own flat, he unwrapped his present right away. A red pillar candle and a bottle opener which had the name of an alternative lemonade brand printed on the wooden handle. It was a really nice bottle opener. He allowed himself to smile. It wasn’t an expensive Christmas present but still one of the nicest he’d ever been given.


End file.
